Fitbit?

[Mark T]

I've been toying for a while if to get a Fitbit. A few of my family and friends have got one.

The question is if I want one just because it's a gadget or if it's actually useful 😛 (but I'll have to figure that out)

It would be nice to have a better daily track of just how far I go in walking but not have to turn on the tracker in my phone each time (which isn't always accurate as I don't have data turned on thus there is no GPS offset sync).

Sometimes I cycle, more often I walk. Sometime my only exercise is going up and down the stairs in my office.

It would be nice to be able to offload the data also.

 

[Northerner]

I think my main issue with these is accuracy - there was a test of them on 'Trust me, I'm a Doctor' the other day, and none of them really came out of it particularly well. If you just want a general notion of how you are doing then they can be useful, I think. I suspect the 'gadget' element is playing a big part in your consideration - I've been very tempted myself, and concluded it's chiefly because of this! 🙄

 

[grovesy]

I have owned a Fitbit and now own a Garmin. As Northern says these trackers when tested are not accurate. With the Fitbit I had to track on my phone to log how long my walk was , I would say it failed to do this at least twice a week! With my Garmin I can log on my band, then sync to app or computer! They both log floors climbed but neither are accurate for this!

 

[BigMalc]

I use a fitbit charge hr and wear it most of the time. That way I do have a watch on to tell the time so I can pretend it isn't just a gadget. It wont be as accurate as a garmin or similar as it is a fraction of the price, no gps etc, but if you want to use it to judge yourself day to day then it does work. It isn't accurate but is consistent if you know what I mean. I also like to see the heart rate for interest too.

 

[Northerner]

I have owned a Fitbit and now own a Garmin. As Northern says these trackers when tested are not accurate. With the Fitbit I had to track on my phone to log how long my walk was , I would say it failed to do this at least twice a week! With my Garmin I can log on my band, then sync to app or computer! They both log floors climbed but neither are accurate for this!

I have a Garmin running watch which is pretty good on the whole, although it does infuriatingly have discrepancies between 'elapsed time' and 'moving time' even when I am moving all the time! E.g. I might run a mile with an elapsed time of 9 mins, but a moving time of 8'50"! 🙄 I can only guess that it's when it loses satellite signal occasionally.

 

[grovesy]

My Garmin is a similar price to the Fibit,.

 

[Vicsetter]

I bought a Fitbug Orb a while ago when Sainsburys were getting rid of stock at £15. Only got it for the sleep quality monitoring. I don't think any of them are very accurate for steps walked, you can get one for about £24 on Amazon, might find it cheaper elsewhere, worth it for a trial and then spend more if you like it.

 

[Jonsi]

Mrs Jonsi has a FitBit charge HR. Don't know about accuracy but she likes it. Automatically syncs with the PC, Tablet and my phone and data is automatically web hosted on the FitBit site. Charging it is a bit 'left-handed' but apart from that it's not bad, even lets you know that your phone is ringing

 

[Martin Canty]

I have a fitbit surge which I really like (except for the fact that I have to charge it every few days....

It helps to keep me accountable to myself (though I question the calories burned), On more than a few occasions I have been known to wonder around the house in circles to get to my step goal....

 

[Copepod]

I worked with a colleague on Tues who had worn a Fitbit for a few months, and reckoned it made her aware of how much exercise she needed to do. She was a bit overweight, but weight is now reducing. She's stopped wearing it. By chance, that day I drove home, then got train to Scarborough, then taxi to campsite just north of town, to meet up with a friend with type 1 diabetes, who'd already walked the first nearly 100 miles of Cleveland Way. I could only join him for the last 10 miles or so to Filey. Celebrated with fish and chips (found shop that sold gluten free for my friend who also has coeliac disease), then cider for him and beer for me. I've spent today exploring Filey Brigg, wandering round town, visiting museum and memorial gardens (with bird aviary and ginger and white cat on prowl for donated fish and chips, I think), finding a few geocaches etc. So, active and relaxing. Not sure I need Fitbit to tell me that. It certainly wouldn't know when I gad 15kg on my back.

 

[mikeyB]

I reckon these devices are no better or worse than the health App that comes with a iPhone 6. Similar Apps are available free, or very cheap, on Android phones.

 

[grovesy]

That is not practical for me as I garden alot!

 

[Matt Cycle]

I don't use one myself and although accuracy may be a bit out I still think it could be a good motivational tool to try and get your 10000 steps a day or to reach targets in the other activity metrics it measures.

 

[Mark T]

I reckon these devices are no better or worse than the health App that comes with a iPhone 6. Similar Apps are available free, or very cheap, on Android phones.

The only problem I had with the Android health app's I tried is that they all relied on the GPS for figuring distance and had to be turned on each time I did anything (or relied on my actually picking my phone up, sometimes I leave it on my desk).

Most phone GPS's I've come across need to have data enabled in order to accurately get your current location otherwise the lock is inaccurate and/or slow (the record on my old phone was 30 minutes to get a lock). Since I don't use my phone that much (less than £5 a month on average) it's not worth going contract so I can keep data on.

Also, like Vicsetter, I'm a little interested in Quality of Sleep, plus what my heart rate is as I usually aim to be in the aerobic zone.